


Killing

by run_sure_footed



Series: Mod Froglets [7]
Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: 2nd chapter tags:, 3rd Chapter Tags:, Blood, Broken Bone, Bullying, Death, Death Threats, Fear of Drowning, Froglets murdering Froglets, Gen, Murder, NOT self harm in the typical sense, Nail Bat, Poison, Split Lip, Stealing, This is A Fucked Up Fic, Verbal Abuse, accidental injury, assault with a weapon, broken leg, burking, carefully planned murder, childhood stutter, dumping a body with the intent of it getting eaten, lots of sneaking around, purposeful self injury, suffocation, threat of drowning, venom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:15:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29094864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/run_sure_footed/pseuds/run_sure_footed
Summary: Mod Froglets are encouraged to be ruthless, and they often make their first kills pretty young.Mind the tags.
Series: Mod Froglets [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061339
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. K

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is fucked up, but considering Wolf killed and skinned her adoptive mother at five-ish, well, the Underfrogs aren’t doing so bad, right? During this fic they’re somewhere between 10 and 12.
> 
> Again, they only have letter names. 
> 
> If their speech is entirely italicized they're using sign language, though I think we made that pretty clear. 
> 
> Also, we headcanon that Harris was one of the first Frogs to start using nail bats.

_K_

The others had been frightened off by J and H coming to defend K, but L wasn’t fooled. For all her size, K was weak and L was determined to prove it. K didn’t belong in the Pond, and L knew K would never become a fully fledged Mod Frog. It would be better for everyone if she went down now.

She made sure to sit behind K whenever she could, whispering, _“Mega,”_ too softly for their instructor to hear—or care about. More importantly, she made sure J and H couldn’t hear.

She smirked every time K twitched or ducked her head, knowing K couldn’t do or say anything about it without announcing that she was weak enough to be bothered by a word, and that she didn’t have enough self-control to hide what she was feeling.

K had been bruised in the fight with her classmates, but she knew L could never have taken her down without support, and the other Froglets had been leaving her alone all week. L’s constant litany of insults stung at first, mostly because K thought L was right. K _was_ an outsider, and she had an easily exploitable weakness. If she was going to survive here, if she was going to be a Mod Frog, she had to change.

So her anger grew, and it grew cold. Each little prod from L only deepened her resolve.

Her opportunity came by surprise, when L slipped off a balance beam and slammed into one of the barricades in the weekly obstacle course, bruising herself internally. Mod Frogs didn’t have ribs in the front, the way most mutes did, so a hard strike over the organs could be fatal. She left for the infirmary and K slipped away as soon as the class was over to follow her.

The medic gave L a quick examination and shrugged. “No bruising yet. There’s not much I can do for you. You might be bleeding inside, in which case you’ll probably die. You can spend the night here and we’ll see in the morning.” It was quite a concession on her part—most Froglets got sent right back to whatever they’d been doing when they were injured if the medics were unable to stitch them up or bandage them.

“Thank you.” L tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. She climbed into the bed the medic had indicated, which was considerably softer than her bed in the dormitory. She closed her eyes and tried to take shallow breaths and hoped she wouldn’t die.

K was a big Froglet and stealth did not come easily to her, but she was quick and quiet despite her size, and the medic, as busy as she was, didn’t notice her slip in. K tucked herself away in a corner by the bed of an unconscious Frog, waiting for night to fall and the medics to go to bed.

After hours of still silence, K stood, stalking over to L’s bed. Her first move was obvious, she clamped a hand over L’s mouth, both to keep her quiet, and so she couldn’t use her tongue to fight.

L had fallen into a light doze. Her pain kept waking her up. Her eyes snapped open and she glared at K with burning hatred. She instinctively reached up to grab K’s wrist and try to pull it away, but of course the Mega was too strong. She kicked off the blanket and tried to kick K. She wasn’t really aiming, she just wanted to strike anywhere she could and hopefully distract K for a second so she could get free or hurt her more badly. She cried out, muffled by K’s hand, when the movement hurt her deep inside her injured abdomen.

L managed to kick K in the side, but it did nothing to move the larger Froglet. K hopped onto the bed, kneeling on L’s chest mercilessly, looking down at her, their eyes locked.

L pounded K with her fists and tried to bite, but K was so big, so strong, she might as well have been a Fly. She felt the pain from her initial injury spread. She couldn’t… She couldn’t breathe… Couldn’t fill her lungs with that deadly weight on top of her. Her whole chest was made of fire. And then, abruptly, it wasn’t.

K stayed on L until she was certain the other Froglet was dead. As soon as she was sure, she got off her and snuck out of the infirmary. No one saw her leave and she made it to the dormitory without being spotted.

She didn’t make it past the Frog who watched the Froglets overnight and was viciously told off for being out past bedtime, but she escaped with only the promise of dish duty tomorrow. She went to her bed and slept peacefully, that cold, heavy anger finally gone.

The medic wasn’t surprised to find the Froglet dead in the morning. As usual when there was a body in the infirmary, she had her orderlies carry the body by dragonfly just past the edge of Mod Frog territory and dump it. Something would eat it.


	2. J

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J's turn

_J_

J was called away after dinner quietly by one of the Pond Frogs who monitored the mess hall.

As soon as they were just past the kitchen door, where they couldn’t be overheard, the older Frog crouched to be closer to J’s level. “Marin overheard some Froglets talking about your friend H. They’re planning to kill him. Tomorrow, after classes are over.”

Pond Frogs tended to know a lot of secrets. Mod Frogs and Froglets alike spoke in front of them as though they weren’t there, meaning they were a huge untapped source of information. J had learned some time ago that they were happy to trade favours for information. The more you learned about them, the more respect you gave them, the more likely they were to offer their information without prompting—though with the expectation that they would be paid for it, like any Frog.

J nodded, silent for a moment. “Thank you. I’ll bring you both something for your help, just give me a few days. Can you point them out to me?”

He did, and J began making plans at a furious pace. He had so little time to do so much damage.

*

J was a very observant Froglet—that was his most dangerous quality. As a fighter he was only average. He wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but he learned quickly and he _watched_. And because he watched, and remembered, he knew exactly where each Froglet slept in the dormitory.

He couldn’t kill them outright; he knew he’d never win that fight. And he couldn’t attack them while they were asleep either—they were watched by an older Frog all night. But he could make sure they didn’t wake up—or, at least, didn’t wake up healthy enough to hurt H.

J knew the medic kept all kinds of chemicals locked away in a cupboard. The first step was gaining access. It was easy enough to find a bit of bladderwort at the far edge of the Pond and smear some on his forearm. It stung and burned and he knew water would do nothing to remove it, having seen other Froglets get into it before.

After a quick word with K, he went in to see the medic, showing him the angry red patch on his skin. The medic opened the cupboard to get the salve and began to apply it to J’s arm. A loud thump against the shuttered window drew his attention—K’s part in the plan—and J had only a few seconds to grab the liquid that he prayed was the same one he’d heard older Mod Frogs talking about. It was labelled ‘zootoxin’. If he was right, it was venom, taken from a dead Umlaut Snäke. He tucked the small bottle under his uniform, let the medic finish taking care of his arm, thanked him, and left as the medic locked the salve back in the cupboard, not noticing the missing bottle.

There was so little time before the Froglets started going to bed, but J walked as calmly as he could to the dormitory. Running or hopping would not only draw the attention of older Frogs, but he was terrified that he might spill some of the venom on himself if he jostled the bottle too much.

His three foes all slept near each other, and he was quick to sprinkle their beds with venom. It had no odour, no colour. He was careful not to get any on his skin, knowing that if his body absorbed it, he might not survive. Umlaut Snäke venom could drop a full grown Mod Frog, a Froglet was so much more vulnerable.

He hid the bottle very carefully before heading back out to find H and K, spending the rest of his evening as normally as possible.

There was a flurry of activity in the morning when three Froglets were found dead in their beds without a mark on any of them—adult Frogs rushing around, whisper-shouting at each other, flinging accusations and coming up with theories.

K watched J. This _had_ to be his doing—not that she’d tell anyone. She waited until they finally had a rare moment alone together. _“You killed them, didn’t you?”_ she signed. She wouldn’t miss them by any means, but she had to be sure. And she knew he liked to brag about his accomplishments, and he wouldn’t be able to with anyone else.

J shrugged. “ _They were going to hurt H. Thanks for helping._ ” He was proud of his plan and its execution, but K liked to knock him down a peg when he bragged so instead he thanked her, modestly. He was proud of having taken down three Froglets without a mark on himself or having given himself away. Their deaths meant very little to him beyond making his—and H’s—life easier.

K smiled wickedly. _“Any time.”_ Her estimation of him, which had already been high, went up a few more notches. He was already proving himself to be ruthless and cunning, two highly prized Mod Frog traits. She was glad she was his friend and not his enemy.


	3. H

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> H's turn

_H_

J pushed through the group of Froglets as soon as he heard one of the many cruel names their pondmates called H. He tried to stay at H’s side through the parts of the day when the Froglets went unsupervised, but he couldn’t always be there.

It was encouraged for them to fight, to figure out who could take control, who was stronger or smarter or quicker. They were left to their own devices whenever they weren’t studying or tagging along with older Frogs, and the pecking order was harshly enforced. H was at the bottom. K and J were just barely above him, but the three of them together usually had a better chance.

H’s lip was split already, and the other Froglet had pushed him down off the lily pad. H had never been a good swimmer.

J shoved the last Froglet out of his way and stepped between the scrabbling H and his attacker. He rarely had to do much more than that these days. He knew K was close enough to help them, and usually so did the other Froglets.

The aggressive Froglet scowled to see J. “You won’t always be there to protect him,” she said, turning to join her friends.

“I will!” J shot back, offering H a hand up to pull him out of the water.

H wanted to ignore the hand, push it away, but he knew he couldn’t. Only his eyes were above the water, and barely at that. He grabbed on and clung tightly, teeth gritted. He was useless at swimming. Had been ever since he’d left the water for the first time. It was as if all the other Froglets—the _real_ Froglets, not freaks like him—had retained some of their Tadpolishness even after they grew legs and lungs, but he hadn’t. He sank like a stone now.

He was useless at fighting, too. He’d discovered that he had _far_ better peripheral vision than anyone else, but he tried not to use it. He didn’t want to stand out any more than he already did. That was his only real advantage. All the others were larger and heavier than him and he just couldn’t compete.

Not that J would ever give him the chance to fucking _try_.

“I could have had her!” he screamed in J’s face, ashamed that he sounded close to tears. He wiped blood from his face so he wouldn’t punch J. J wouldn’t hit him back, but that would be worse. He turned to K. “I could have had her,” he said more calmly, almost beseechingly.

J let H pull out of his grip and wipe away the blood, trying to hide the concern he felt. It would only make H feel worse, weaker. “If she hadn’t pushed you in the water, maybe,” he said, softly.

K said nothing, she only shrugged. Maybe he could have. But at this rate they weren’t ever going to find out. J stepped in every time, often before fights could even occur. He guarded H and he took it seriously. K would back them up, of course, immediately, no questions asked, but she didn’t take it upon herself to guard either of them. All of the Froglets their age needed to figure out where they stood. And in H’s case, he needed to find a foothold before he could even do that. He needed to be allowed the chance to succeed. He’d only failed a few times before J had started fighting his battles, and K felt sure that he could succeed, now that he was older. H didn’t have the weight or strength of the other Frogs, but he had learned a lot since the first fights he’d lost. He’d gained a vicious anger that she knew had to be unleashed at some point.

She just didn’t want it unleashed at J, and if things continued they way they had, she was afraid that would be the way it came out. Already they’d argued over this, but so far they hadn’t actually fought. She didn’t want it to come to that.

“Shut up!” H snapped. He knew it wasn’t J’s fault, really, he did, but he was still full of so much anger and yes, fear, from the fight he hadn’t gotten to finish and he had to let it out _somehow_ or he’d explode. K didn’t say anything, because of course she didn’t. He didn’t expect much help from her direction, not with J. He’d have to handle him on his own, but he didn’t know how. J was so good at talking and manipulating and getting his way without giving up anything in return. Another thing H failed at.

J gave him a glare. “This isn’t _my_ fault!” He knew this wasn’t helping, he knew the other Froglets would never leave H alone if they continued the way they were, but he didn’t know how to help. He didn’t know what else to do besides keep H from being beaten, or maybe worse. It wasn’t uncommon for Froglets to kill each other. It terrified J, seeing H hurt, knowing that they could do worse to him. “Just stay away from her!” he snapped, but he regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth. She was a cruel bully and constantly tested her pondmates, forcing them to defend themselves or submit to her. H could hardly avoid her, or the other Froglets who wanted to hurt him. J knew he shouldn’t blame H, but sometimes it was hard not to, especially when H was angry at him for trying to help.

K put a hand on J’s shoulder and turned him, giving him a nudge away from them. He took the hint and left, frowning.

H narrowed his eyes, glowering at J’s retreating back. “Oh, just stay away from her!” he shouted. “Why didn’t _I_ think of that?” He turned his glare to K but, as usual, he couldn’t keep it up in the face of her silent stare. He sighed, wiping blood off his face again and flicking it onto the lilypad beneath them. “Well, what do _you_ think I should do?” he asked, not really expecting an answer or really desiring one. He was beginning to have the sneaking suspicion that he already knew what to do, but he knew J wouldn’t like it. Would try to stop him. J couldn’t be around when he put it into action.

K considered her words for a moment. “You can’t win in a fair fight,” she said simply. “So m-m-m—” She restarted her sentence to push her way through the stutter, “So m-make it unfair.”

“Yeah.” H was grinning now. “That’s about what I was thinking.” He caught a drop of blood on his fingertips and held it in front of his face. “I think I’ll go on a little patrol.” They weren’t allowed to leave the pond without a fully fledged Mod Frog, but they could circle its edges. Some had gone even farther than that alone or in small groups, but it required swimming. H could only leave by dragonfly or the main lilypad road, which was heavily guarded at all times.

He found himself beneath the stone arch that formed one of the edges of his world. A flash of metal on one of the supporting columns above him caught his eye. Making sure no one was looking, he hooked his tongue on a broken-off piece of metal bar and swung into the column’s shade. After a little awkward scrambling he managed to land on the place he thought he’d seen something. Hopefully he’d be able to get out and back to the lilypads again without drowning.

He found himself in a small hollow where water had etched the stone away, leaving a shallow pool of surprisingly clear water. And beneath that water, somehow still shining bright and not rusted, were a handful of nails. He picked one up, twirling it between his fingers while he thought. These were important, he knew that, but _why_? He picked up another, tapping their wickedly sharp tips together. Nails weren’t for stone, like the stone he was crouched on now. Nails were for wood. Wood, like…a bat.

He grinned. Oh, yes. Yes, this would do nicely. He scooped up all the nails. He didn’t dare put them in the pocket of his training-suit and risk poking holes in it, and he couldn’t just carry them in his hand where they’d be spotted. Grimacing with distaste, he tucked them carefully into his mouth and looked over the edge. He wouldn’t be able to swing back across, not with his mouth full, but the lily pads weren’t _that_ far from the column. With grim determination he dropped over the side, trying to make himself as streamlined as possible so he wouldn’t make as much of a splash when he hit. Then he was in the water, falling, falling, as though he was still in the air, only now he couldn’t _breathe_. He managed to thrash and flail his way to the surface—so much for landing quietly—and there was the closest lily pad, only a body-length or two away.

One of the nails pricked his tongue, and now the taste of his own blood filled his mouth along with their metalic tang. He didn’t have to impress anyone with how he did it, he just had to get there. One of his grasping, outstretched hands gripped the side of the lilypad just as his strength was about to give out. He hauled himself on top of it, panting and gasping, flat on his back. He allowed himself a few minutes to recover, then returned to the dormitory.

After making _very_ certain no one was around, he stuffed the nails under his mattress, making sure his sheets were perfectly tucked so no one would fault him for a poorly made bed and risk revealing them. Now he just had to wait for nightfall.

It seemed to take J forever to fall asleep and leave him alone. Finally, finally, it was dark and still and quiet. Their minder retreated to his room, though H knew he’d return at the slightest sound. 

Well. Not _every_ sound. If he heard H grunting with repressed pain, he was unlikely to intervene. Fuck him. For a moment H was tempted to change his plan, but no. His original thought was still best. He stuffed the nails back in his mouth before sneaking out. He’d need to spike the bat tonight if his plan was going to happen tomorrow.

Mod Froglets were forbidden from going to the armoury unaccompanied, and _especially_ forbidden from taking weapons out of it without permission, but getting caught wouldn’t be nearly as bad as going on the way things were. 

The walls were high enough to keep out even the highest jumpers, but part of the roof was open so dragonflies could be flown in and out. Luckily he was actually _good_ at climbing.

Climbing back out while holding one of the massive wooden bats was more difficult, but he scrambled up and over the top with his prize, half-falling, half-climbing down.

Finding a place where he could hold the nails against something flat and hard was tricky, but there was a large flat rock on the edge of the Pond where he finally found enough privacy to hammer the nails in, whacking the bat down against the nails until they came out the other side. The bat began to look more and more dangerous and his face split in a grin.

He concealed it in the training area, close enough that he could, with effort, guide the fight to it, but where it was unlikely to be spotted by anyone. 

He returned to his bed, willing his heartbeat to quiet so he could hear any other sounds. He didn’t feel anything, hear anything, so he decided it was safe. 

He curled up on his belly again to sleep. Closed his eyes. Remembered that _Mod Frogs don’t sleep like that_. Straightened, knowing he’d most likely find himself tucked up again by morning, but the thought didn’t bother him nearly as much as usual. 

No. 

That night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. 

*

The next day was very much like the last. Once classes were over, and J was drawn away from H by K, who had a vague inkling of his plan. His usual bully followed him out and H was given a sharp shove and a few equally sharp insults. 

“I’d be doing everyone in our Year a favour if I killed you,” she said, happily explaining the conclusion she’d come to. “You’re going to hold us all back. You can’t swim. You can’t fight, not even with _words_. You’re _dead_ weight.”

Hoping he wasn’t overdoing it, H cringed dramatically—he hadn’t spent all that time around J only to learn _nothing_ —and backed away. He threw an arm over his head—not for protection, but to hide the grin he couldn’t keep off his face. He could see K in the distance, keeping J facing the opposite direction. They made brief eye contact. 

“O-okay!” H cried, hoping she couldn’t tell he was laughing. “Please, don’t hurt me again!”

She followed him, a big dumb grin on her big dumb face. Once they were in position, he ‘fell’ onto his back, wrapping his hand around the grip of the bat.

She just had to take one. more. step...

She took it confidently, fully expecting H to offer no resistance beyond begging.

H whipped the bat from its hiding place and slammed it into the bare skin between the tops of her socks and the bottom of her short pants. This would have been devastating enough without the nails he’d driven through the wood.

The force of the blow knocked her legs out from under her and her face smacked the lily pad. For a second the only sound was the horrible crunch of her bone breaking, but after a ragged intake of air, she started to scream. 

J turned on his heel to see the commotion. His eyes went wide at the sight of H standing over his attacker with his hand gripping a baseball bat. It was attached to her leg somehow, there was blood everywhere and J couldn’t understand why the bat wasn’t pulling free of her mangled limb. He pushed past K, not letting her slow him down, and in seconds he was at H’s side. H had blood spatter right up his front, staining his white dress shirt and speckling his face. 

Satisfied that she’d kept him out of the way long enough, K didn’t resist when J pushed past her. She ran forward with the others. It wasn’t that she was particularly interested in what H had—finally—done, but it would have been suspicious if she’d hung back. 

And then H was laughing and he couldn’t stop. Didn’t _want_ to stop. He wrenched the bat free, having to twist and rock it to get the nails out, drawing out more screams. He stood over her, bloody bat in one hand. He didn’t throw her words back in her face, the way J might have. He didn’t need to. His next swing caught her in the head. This time she was silent as he stepped on her to pull the nail bat free.

He turned his back on her, showing his contempt. “Anyone else?” he shouted. He didn’t have to turn to see anyone else. None of them looked at him. He could see adult Mod Frogs running towards them, but J was closer. He allowed the end of the bat to dip, not wanting to threaten his friend. 

J’s stunned expression turned to a slow grin. He threw an arm around H’s shoulders, a kind of affection the Froglets were quickly growing out of. “Fuck,” he said, voice choked with laughter. “Fuck, H!” He was proud of him, felt affection pierce his chest as surely as those nails had pierced skin. He didn’t voice any of that and released him.

“Will you give me a chance from now on?” H whispered against J’s tympanum, and then strong arms were around his middle, lifting him into the air. The bat was ripped out of his hands. He didn’t resist. Any punishment would be worth it. Anything. 

He didn’t think anyone would fuck with him any time soon. They knew—they _all_ knew—he didn’t need J or K or anyone to fight his battles. 

“No one will be dumb enough to try that again.” J laughed as H was pulled away by one of their instructors. He might be punished for stealing the bat and the nails, but not for fighting. He might even be praised for taking action the way he had. J left the dead Froglet on the bloody lilypad, heading back to K.


End file.
